Environmental crusader Philippe Cousteau says he will work with Steve Irwin's film crew to ensure the documentary, Ocean's Deadliest, is completed in honour of the fallen Crocodile Hunter.
Cousteau, the grandson of famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, was also on the Great Barrier Reef on Monday when Irwin suffered the fatal stingray wound.
The Animal Planet TV channel had paired up Irwin and Cousteau to make Ocean's Deadliest, a film highlighting the importance of sharks and other deadly sea animals to the environment.
"It was a freak accident, but it doesn't stop us from doing what we have to do to bring the wonder of nature and these creatures to everybody," Cousteau said during an interview on CNN.
"That was what was so important about this show and I think why Steve was so excited about it.
"We were looking at these animals that people think of as dangerous and deadly monsters and they're not.
"They all have an important place in the environment and the world.
"That is what his whole message was about and I know all of us will continue to fight to bring that message to everyone."
Cousteau told how he was resting on Irwin's main vessel, Croc One, on Monday when Irwin suffered the fatal wound on a nearby reef while shooting footage for his daughter Bindi's TV show, not Ocean's Deadliest.
"I was reading a book when we got the call over the radio," Cousteau said.
"We had been 10 days or so into the shoot and things were going so well.
"The irony of the whole story was stingrays weren't even part of the show.
"I was just relaxing and getting ready to do a dive that afternoon when everything happened."
Cousteau, the president of environmental group Earth Echo International, said he had been enjoying his working relationship with Irwin, including catching saltwater crocodiles in northern Australia.
"I wrote an email to my colleagues and friends back in the States how amazed I was at how dedicated Steve was and how much he really loved being out there and in the wild with the animals and how much the people around him loved and cared for him," Cousteau said.
When Irwin's longtime manager John Stainton asked Cousteau if he would continue working on Ocean's Deadliest following Irwin's death, Cousteau said it would be an honour to do so.
"It is definitely going to be very difficult to finish this show not just for myself, but for the incredible crew that is so dedicated to doing so," Cousteau said.
"When John asked me to do so I was honoured to be able to continue this show.
"Steve and I spoke at length about why he does his work and the show in particular and just our work in general, and by far and away human kind is the deadliest creature in the ocean.
"If we can help bring that message to people around the world through this program and help them understand all these animals have an important place in the world, then he'll be proud of that."
Cousteau said he had been haunted by Irwin's death, which had many similarities to the death of his father, also named Philippe, in a seaplane accident in 1979.
"That's one of the things that has haunted me a little bit since this occurred," Cousteau said.
"The circumstances around Steve's death being such an accident, also my father's death was an accident, and he left two children, a son and a daughter and a widow.
"The situation is so similar it's been difficult, I have to tell you."
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